Archive for the ‘Hardwood’ Category

If you think of flooring like a decadent, luxurious meal (and who doesn’t?), then you’ll find that pairing your floor with a rich, earthy color like Marsala is very natural. Pantone’s 2015 color of the year has a lot to love about it. Like, it’s named after a fortified wine. Good start!

According to the color gurus at Pantone, Marsala is a very versatile color, “equally appealing to men and women.” They refer to the color as “stirring and flavorful” and “sultry and subtle.” In terms of home décor over fashion, Pantone’s Color Intelligence crew loves Marsala. “Dramatic,” they opine, “and at the same time grounding.”

We’ve got a lot of advice for things that could happen during your Big Game party. Spills and tracked-in dirt? Seems legit. Spots caused by food, water, or animals? Could happen. Grease, lipstick, crayon, ink, heel marks? It’s starting to sound like quite a party! Chewing gum or candle wax? Things just started getting real…what kind of party is this again? Deep scratches or gouges? Well, we hope not, but we’ve even got that covered. more ►

What are the hottest new trends in flooring? In this post, we’re going to talk about a few of the latest. The first is mixed species wood looks, laminate floors that mix different species together into attractive and rustic looks. Second is wide plank flooring, a look that can be achieved with laminate, hardwood, and luxury vinyl. And last, there is reclaimed wood – flooring that embodies the look of wood salvaged from abandoned farms and factories.

When I was young, my favorite Aunt used to take seasonal decorating very seriously. She had boxes upon boxes of knick knacks to get out and dust off, which turned every surface into a fabulous (very kitschy) display. In the Fall, she changed the placemats, table runner, and napkins to red, golds, and oranges. She changed out all the hand-towels (pumpkins) and even changed the curtains (fall foliage). It was out of hand, and took her a full weekend to accomplish.

Who has time to decorate like this today! We’re in favor of keeping it simple. The floor you choose is a foundation, a background for your taste, and can help you with keeping your life and your seasonal decorations simple. Check out some of our room scenes below, along with a few decorating pointers.

Radiant Orchid – a vibrant color that is suddenly everywhere – is Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2014. “An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple, and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates joy, love, and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm,” says Pantone Executive Director, Leatrice Eiseman. Pantone’s announcement of the Color of the Year is always exciting for those in the fashion, beauty, and home interiors industries – and for homeowners everywhere.

Not quite pink and not quite purple, the enigmatic Radiant Orchid is just the thing if you’re looking to enliven a space with a pop of color. We’ve put together a collection of rooms that use Radiant Orchid to bring out the lively, natural beauty of a few of our most popular floors. more ►

Today’s homeowners are looking for design ideas that feel authentic and familiar, that are hand-crafted, or that reveal a vintage flair. Rustic hardwood floors fit naturally into this trend – with textured looks and earthy colors that create a warm ambience and a unique feeling of “home”.

Textured Looks

Texture has become the new driver in interior design. It’s all about the stimulation of our senses in home décor – through materials, fabrics, and surfaces that offer visual and tactile interest. Rustic wood floors capture this trend beautifully. If you love the idea of a hardwood floor with an aged look or time-worn patina, explore the options available for hand-scraped hardwoods and distressed hardwoods. more ►

If you’re thinking about hardwood but want a DIY installation, consider a Lock&Fold floor. Armstrong’s Midtown Hardwood product line offers the beauty of hardwood in an engineered structure, which allows it to be installed on any level of your home.

Floating floors using the Lock&Fold method can be installed over any subfloor that is structurally sound, flat, clean, and dry. Does your basement man cave need a new look? Midtown is a perfect choice for any climate-controlled basement. And you don’t need nail guns and other expensive tools when installing Midtown. With Lock&Fold technology, the hardwood planks simply snap together.

Nothing says luxury like a beautiful hardwood floor. The new Midtown hardwood collection by Armstrong lets you achieve a stunning hardwood style without the cost implications or performance limitations.

Inside the Model Home
The entryway, kitchen, and living room of this exquisitely styled Oakwood model home shout “STYLE” with varying hues of rich warm walnut that complement the vibrant furniture design.

In a recent interview, I talked with Mara Villanueva-Heras, V.P. of Marketing for Armstrong Residential Flooring, about SURFACES – the biggest trade show for the flooring industry in the U.S. – and the home décor trends that are getting her excited this year. Here’s what she had to say:

HA: Let’s start by describing what SURFACES is.

MVH: SURFACES serves as the industry’s meeting place to unveil new floor covering products, tools, and technologies. The show was a tremendous success for us this year. Our focus was to launch new products and highlight some unique merchandising and marketing concepts.

If you follow the latest decorating trends, you may know that textures inspired by nature are popular in home design today. Some designers even consider texture the new “color”. They suggest that bringing the textures of nature indoors has a positive effect on people. I’ve even read that homeowners are happier and healthier because a bit of nature inside their home creates a calming environment.

Armstrong has responded to this trend with a truly beautiful new hardwood collection that embodies both texture and nature. It’s called American Scrape™.

An American Tradition
The new American Scrape collection features wide plank floors with a hand-scraped look, designed to look like vintage floors from long ago. This unique collection got me thinking about the history of scraped floors, and after researching the topic, I discovered that wide-width scraped floors were an American tradition as far back as the 1800s – when most homes had solid wood floors. Back in those days, the boards were scraped to even out the differences between the planks.